Japanese Knotweed

EachPenny

glasgowdan wrote: »

How long do you intend to stay in the property? If it's a long term thing then I wouldn't even consider using a company that calls themselves a JKW specialist... anyone with normal weedkiller is perfect (including yourself). If you may try and sell soon and need someone to provide a guarantee for buyers lenders then hunt around for the best deal. Rarely would I use a national firm for these types of services.

It is worth bearing in mind for the long-term that the "normal weedkiller" used to treat JKW (requiring several year's use) is at risk of being banned.

At that point the treatment options appear to be digging (very expensive), vinegar (not yet proven) or special bugs (not yet allowed).

And I wouldn't rely on the Government not to ban the only effective treatment for an invasive weed, because joined-up thinking is not a strength of any government.

Davesnave

I will wager glyphosate will not be banned; it's far more important to agriculture than Asulox, which they tried to ban a few years back, before the relatively poor hill farmers protested they then had nothing to combat bracken, itself carcinogenic.

So the ban was relaxed.

Far too many Tory toffs have money in lowland agriculture for a ban to be given serious consideration, especially on the evidence so far presented surrounding its potential as a carcinogen. Wouldn't do a lot for food prices either.

Bacon sarnie, anyone?

Cheeky_Monkey

glasgowdan wrote: »

Also, in your shoes I would use this nonsense to negotiate a good discount .

I think you've missed the part about this being a Right to Buy application. The OP will already be getting a large discount.

EachPenny

Davesnave wrote: »

I will wager glyphosate will not be banned; it's far more important to agriculture than Asulox, which they tried to ban a few years back, before the relatively poor hill farmers protested they then had nothing to combat bracken, itself carcinogenic.

So the ban was relaxed.

Far too many Tory toffs have money in lowland agriculture for a ban to be given serious consideration, especially on the evidence so far presented surrounding its potential as a carcinogen. Wouldn't do a lot for food prices either.

Although those kind of considerations aren't helping neonics much though are they.

My expectation is some kind of phased ban, with consumer use banned outright to start with, and commercial use heavily regulated. Not dissimilar to the situation with creosote.

It does make me wonder about things when you see people buying glyphosate in supermarkets, packing it in the same bags as their food shopping, then get home and use the handy trigger spray to liberally dose their driveways and patios while wearing flip-flops and shorts. :wall:

The JKW issue is that people are saying not to worry because it is a DIY job to treat. But if consumer use of glyphosate is banned then the only option will be professional companies - which of course will be free to charge more because the DIY route has gone. Given that you may still have JKW 5 or 10 years from now I personally wouldn't be so confident it is not something to be concerned about.

glasgowdan

This is why the consumer buys a 20 litre drum just now and uses it at their leisure

I also don't see a product with so little evidence of harmful effects being banned though, so I am not at the stocking up stage yet.

glasgowdan

Cheeky_Monkey wrote: »

I think you've missed the part about this being a Right to Buy application. The OP will already be getting a large discount.

I'd still be looking to get a further reduction!

moneyistooshorttomention

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

1. Put weedkiller on knotweed
2. Do the same the following year
3. Rinse and repeat for about five years....
.....then it's gone.

I've heard of that being done - and then someone came along years later and started digging around a lot (as per normal garden that had never had it) and there were still dormant roots there - and they "came back to life" and it started growing again.

A language issue - ie some of us interpret "dealt with" as meaning "dealt with". Only some people will realise that others might be using it to mean "dealt with for now".

Cakeguts

You have a big problem buying this house.

1 The Japanese knotweed has been seen in the back yard but you don't know where it has gone before you got the tenancy of the house or where it has spread to while you lived there but were not trying to buy the house.

2 You don't know where it has spread from.

3 You know that the council don't really care about it so if it still growing on council land near the property you are thinking of buying it could spread back to this house.

4 When the house is yours it is going to be your responsibility to treat any knotweed that spreads to your backyard from any other council owned property. Are you happy to keep on treating knotweed coming from somewhere else?

5 It will affect how much you could sell the house for.


You might find that actually buying this particular house is going to be more trouble than it is worth. Even under right to buy. If the knotweed has got into the house foundations it could cost you as much in repairs as buying a house on the open market without knotweed.

glasgowdan

Worth reading

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/sep/08/japanese-knotweed-house-sale